Investigators find revolver that may have been used in shooting of Officer Brian Moore

Investigators have found a revolver in a Queens neighborhood which they believe may have been used in the shooting of Officer Brian Moore over the weekend, a law enforcement official told Newsday on Monday.

The gun was found in a backyard not far from where the suspect lived, the official said.

Det. Michael DeBonis said Moore is "still critical," but said he could not provide more details on the officers's condition. NYPD Police Commissioner William Bratton was to visit Moore at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, DeBonis said.

Moore was shot Saturday night in Queens as he approached Demetrius Blackwell, 35, whom he suspected of carrying a weapon.

According to law enforcement officials, Moore was with his partner when they saw Blackwell tugging at his waistband, thought he had a gun and asked him, "What are you carrying?"

Blackwell, of Queens, then started to fire, police said.

Moore and his partner, Officer Erik Jansen, 30, were in plainclothes and driving an unmarked car at the time of the shooting, Police Commissioner William Bratton said.

Colleagues of Moore and law enforcement officials said he has a connection to the NYPD.

As it is for many officers, the oath Moore took about five years ago is about family and tradition as well as a commitment to serve others, they said. Moore's father, an uncle and cousins all served in the NYPD.

"His father is a retired police officer. His uncle is a retired police officer. His cousins are all police officers currently both in our great city and in the towns out east on Long Island as well," Patrolmen's Benevolent Association president Patrick Lynch said. "They're folks that dedicated themselves to service. This shouldn't have happened to a police officer like this."

Mayor Bill de Blasio noted Moore's lineage in the immediate aftermath of the Saturday night shooting.

"He is a brave young man. He comes from a police family," he said. "This is what he wanted to do with his life. He wanted to be a New York City police officer. He wanted to serve, and he did so with great distinction."

Moore was determined to join the police ranks, taking the test and entering the academy almost immediately after graduating from Plainedge High School in North Massapequa.

He lived on the same street where he grew up, and his presence comforted those who live nearby.

"It's always reassuring when officers live in the neighborhood because it feels safe," said next-door neighbor Liam Whyte, 45, who called the shooting "heartbreaking."

Blackwell is charged with attempted first-degree murder, assault and weapons charges and faces life in prison if convicted, prosecutors said.

Officers descended on the neighborhood after the shooting, peering into yards and passing vehicles, and telling residents to stay in their homes.

Police arrested Blackwell about 90 minutes after the shooting at 104-25 212th Place, Bratton said. Blackwell was known to stay at several homes in the area, Bratton said.

Blackwell served 5 years in prison for attempted murder and was released from upstate Clinton Correctional Facility in 2008, according to prison records.